Castle is 8-2 against Evansville Mater Dei since April of 2017 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Thursday. The Knights will be playing at home against the Wildcats at 5:00 p.m. Evansville Mater Dei took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Castle, who comes in off a win.
Castle is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They never let Hancock County get on the board and left with a 20-0 victory on Monday. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Knights considering their one-run performance the matchup before.
Bailey Gravens
| 04/21/25 vs Hancock County | 9 |
| 04/08/25 vs Evansville Harrison | 8 |
| 04/11/25 vs Zionsville | 4 |
| 03/28/25 vs South Elgin | 4 |
| 04/17/25 @ Evansville North | 3 |
Bailey Gravens tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits while striking out nine over five innings pitched. Those nine strikeouts gave her a new career-high.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Sadie Winsett, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, five RBI, and three runs. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in May of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Maddie Rose, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, four RBI, and one double.
Castle hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. They are 2-1 when they post two or more strikeouts.
For whatever reason, it's the away team that's had the advantage when Evansville Mater Dei and Apollo meet (three straight games heading into this one) and that held true again on Wednesday. The Wildcats fell just short of the Eagles by a score of 7-6.
Evansville Mater Dei also got a good showing from Addi Boots, who tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Boots has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Macy Lankford was cooking despite her team's loss, going 2-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and one double.
Evansville Mater Dei's defeat dropped their record down to 5-3. As for Castle, their win bumped their record up to 5-8.
Thursday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Castle hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .344. However, it's not like Evansville Mater Dei struggles in that department as they've averaged .396. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Castle took their victory against Evansville Mater Dei when the teams last played back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 13-2 score. Will the Knights repeat their success, or do the Wildcats have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
